There are three purposes for blog categories.
1. Search Engine Optimization
One use of blog categories is that it helps with search engine optimization (SEO), which allow the search engines to better find and list posts.
2. Reader Engagement
The second use of blog categories is to help readers find similar content. For example, if we blog about three subtopics and a reader is only interested in one of them, then they can click on the category and see just those posts.
3. Writer Organization
A third benefit of using blog categories is to help us in our own organization. Here are two examples: I recently tweaked the focus on one of my blogs, and some of the old posts no longer fit my new vision. Since I had these old posts in one category, it was easy to find and remove them.
In another instance, I decided to draft a book using old blog posts. They were all in one category, which made them easy to find and access.
Selecting Blog Categories
Here are some other items about categories:
- Having only one category offers no benefits.
- Having too many categories is confusing. Aim to have three to eight.
- Using the default of “uncategorized” is unprofessional and accomplishes nothing.
Don’t confuse categories with tags. They seem similar but work differently and have different applications. To learn more, check out my post about categories and tags.
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.